Levy for senior services set for ballot

WARREN -- Trumbull County commissioners gave the go-ahead Friday to putting a 0.75-mill levy for senior citizens services or facilities on the November ballot. The final reading came Friday at a special meeting of commissioners. Commissioner Dan Polivka said the board has been "tough" on any agency asking to put levy requests on the ballot in light of the number of levy requests voters are seeing. That is why commissioners negotiated to reduce the senior citizens levy down from 1 mill to 0.75. "I think three-quarters mill would provide adequate services," Polivka said. Earlier in the week, commissioners voted 2-1 to put a county library levy on the November ballot but expressed reservations about it. A legal opinion indicated they were required to put the levy on the ballot regardless of their opinion of it. According to county auditor's office, the five-year senior citizens levy would generate about $2.6 million annually. It would cost the owner of a house valued at $100,000 about $23 per year. The levy is supported by organizations such as SCOPE Inc., whose director, Janet Sweitzer, spoke at the commissioners' meeting Friday. She said the senior citizen population of Trumbull County is growing, and the services for them can't keep up. She said senior citizen agencies such as hers are currently meeting only about half of the requests for service they receive. She said transportation needs are probably the biggest concern right now. Trumbull County voters last year defeated a similar measure.

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